So, for some more work experience brownie points at uni (in which I need to demonstrate I am a professional creative force in society) I approached the guys at Aethersound who run my favourite psytrance night Plymouth Whomp! at Voodoo lounge and asked them if they would like me to produce a short video promoting their night, their rig, and all the fluffy loveliness that goes on at Whomp nights - a visual business card, or "viznizz card" if you will.
Anybody who reads this blog is probably lead to believe that all I do these days is go to clubs that have a lot of lasers and people with dreadlocks. And they are right. :) But let the video do the talking:
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Galactic Consciousness Event - 15th November
A couple of weekends ago I ran my first stall at a Psytrance night at Maggies, a greasy spoon by day and rave spot by night. I've been attending these mini raves for over a year now, loving the friendly vibe, awesome music and beautiful family that pull together and give up their time for one goal: to put on an awesome party.
I decided it's time I did more than just take peoples money at the door and pin up the odd glow in the dark hula hoop. Despite having the worst case of sinusitis I can ever remember I collected up all the old prints and paintings I've produced at uni but never sold. Quite an odd thing to try and sell at a Psytrance night, no mushrooms or fairies, but it was fun talking to people about the process of making a woodcut print. Unbelievably I did sell one painting! My first sale! I'd painted a seagull, inspired by reading the book "John Livingston Seagull" about a Seagull who discovers he can fly faster and better through the power of a positive mind. This was bought by somebody who had also read the book. Just goes to show when you try to make paintings for a particular audience but your heart isn't in it it will show. A great artists once told "Work from the heart and you'll always be home."
My stall was next to the awesome Kerry aka Dj RastaFairy who has been making an selling woolen hats and lighter holders at Totnes Market for over a year and who who did a much better trade than I. She's my inspiration, make stuff, sell stuff, happy days.
It was a long friday, we wrapped at 6am. I had one hours sleep, then spent the rest of the weekend recovering with friends. The tired and sick love company!
I decided it's time I did more than just take peoples money at the door and pin up the odd glow in the dark hula hoop. Despite having the worst case of sinusitis I can ever remember I collected up all the old prints and paintings I've produced at uni but never sold. Quite an odd thing to try and sell at a Psytrance night, no mushrooms or fairies, but it was fun talking to people about the process of making a woodcut print. Unbelievably I did sell one painting! My first sale! I'd painted a seagull, inspired by reading the book "John Livingston Seagull" about a Seagull who discovers he can fly faster and better through the power of a positive mind. This was bought by somebody who had also read the book. Just goes to show when you try to make paintings for a particular audience but your heart isn't in it it will show. A great artists once told "Work from the heart and you'll always be home."
My stall was next to the awesome Kerry aka Dj RastaFairy who has been making an selling woolen hats and lighter holders at Totnes Market for over a year and who who did a much better trade than I. She's my inspiration, make stuff, sell stuff, happy days.
It was a long friday, we wrapped at 6am. I had one hours sleep, then spent the rest of the weekend recovering with friends. The tired and sick love company!
Monday, 14 November 2011
Ukes not Nukes
A single frame from an animation I'm working on. I have about 42 similar frames. These 42 frames have taken over a week and a half to rotoscope via Wacom tablet and photoshop. Animation takes so long and it's so monotonous! My brain is working on auto-pilot. It's like forced meditation, I just want to be doing anything else. So I've been having a little musical discovery time. I've been listening to a lot of Paul Brady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCetERPAN5M
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Monday, 7 November 2011
Rae Wetherill sings at Occupy Plymouth
Anyway, a legend named LIFERAMPS has created this beautiful video of my singing "The Busker Song" there on saturday. Already the response is incredible, not only support for the movement but my music in general. The power of the online-snowball is amazing:
For anybody who has stumbled onto this page looking for info on me, I'm a Plymouth based Illustration student who enjoy's busking around town and dreams of one day actually being booked for a paid live gig! Some older recordings of mine can be found on my Soundcloud. I suppose I should actually get on it and set up my own youtube page soon :)
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Birthdays A-Plenty
It's been lovely to spend the day making birthday cards for my friend's kid's and not think about how difficult making a future for myself will be when I leave uni. The economy, politics, society feels like it's self destructing. I feel like I need to go live in a cave for a few years until the world sorts itself out.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Friday, 30 September 2011
Back at Uni - Exciting Opportunities
I was back at uni monday and it's been full-on. It's not like we have a lot of artwork to do, quite the opposite, but a lot of paper work, filling out questionnaires about where we want to be in a years time. (I'm finding it very hard not to say "In a years time I'd like to be homeless, living in the back of a van in a moorland car park with my ukulele and mouldy copy of Ekhart Tolle's 'The Power of Now.'")
The weekend before uni was also the re-launch of my favourite monthly Psytrance night in Plymouth, Whomp! run and frequented by the most beautiful people I have ever known. The folks there were launching a sister-venture named Bassface. There was a day long event of DJ show-casing and tomfoolery, and the folks invited me to do some live art on a large recovered council banner. Me and another local artist and all-round beautiful man David Short worked like slaves in the day (with many smoke breaks) and danced like space monkeys at night.
The weekend before uni was also the re-launch of my favourite monthly Psytrance night in Plymouth, Whomp! run and frequented by the most beautiful people I have ever known. The folks there were launching a sister-venture named Bassface. There was a day long event of DJ show-casing and tomfoolery, and the folks invited me to do some live art on a large recovered council banner. Me and another local artist and all-round beautiful man David Short worked like slaves in the day (with many smoke breaks) and danced like space monkeys at night.
Friday, 23 September 2011
The Summer has Ended (but the tan-lines on my memory will never fade)
This summer has been one of those summers - *those* - summers. THE summer. The one I'll forever look back on with a grin. The camp fires, cold nights, the funny songs, the spiritual experiences, the smoke in the eyes, endless saucepans of noodles, the sun-stroke, drippy noses, bad trips, laughing fits, the open-mic nights, the tipi-love-ins, road trips, parties, the hairy-legs, the proclamations of boundless endless love. I have done a woefully small amount of drawing in this time because it's hard to carry a sketchbook when you're wading through a muddy field, fleeing a bull, while intoxicated - but here are some of the times I remembered to draw!
Big love to every single person I made met, camped with, partied with, danced with, spoke to, stood next to in the chemical toilet cue, bought a chai from, passed on the motorway - you made this summer incredible!
Chilling out with Paula and Corny
Waiting for the train at Exeter - UK Busk Tour
In the backseat to Brighton with Ailey and Jon in the front
Lying on the floor of Family London-Crash-pad with Marv, watching Ghost for the first time (amazing!)
Having some time to myself just drawing my city - something that has become unusual recently
Random
Random again (the more random the drawing the more "graphic" and "innovative" it is)
And to cap it all I sang on stage at a festival! Thanks to Pam for being an awesome friend, guide, mentor and for capturing this corker of a moment for me! Me singing on stage at Maker Festival!
Big love to every single person I made met, camped with, partied with, danced with, spoke to, stood next to in the chemical toilet cue, bought a chai from, passed on the motorway - you made this summer incredible!
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Monsters, Aliens and Robots
Some designs for a live art installation I'm doing on saturday - photos to follow! I started thinking - what if my friends were aliens?
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
UK Tour (Busking for Fun and Profit)
I've always dreamt of going on tour around the country, performing, larking about, generally living the rock and roll lifestyle. This is summer has been epic, the summer I've waited my whole life for, and I've learnt through my experiences that if you want to go out and do something, DO IT! Don't let anybody tell you you cant do something, especially yourself.
So I went out, and busked around the country. This trip took me about two weeks, and was very spontaneous. No tickets were booked, I would be staying with friends around the country, and I would leave when the universe felt it right. This trip really made me appreciate the art of busking as its own unique, ancient and sacred form of performance in it's own right. I feel like I could write a book on busking now; in fact, my friends say I should busk around the world and write a travel book about my experiences.
I took a run-of-the-mill disposable camera on this trip, rather than my DSLR. Alot of the pictures were unusable but the pictures that did develop alright have that classic aged quality I love about disposables.
Exeter
Firstly, Exeter. Exeter was alright, my problem was arriving too early, and having to set up anyway so I didn't loose my spot. I started singing at about 9:30, much too early. I was finished in the high street by 1pm, and moved to the quay. I had a somewhat uncomfortable feeling there, I don't like busking where people are sat outside cafes because they are forced to sit through your performance. I like giving people the option, I like a place with a stead flow of traffic. While there a man bought my CD, told me I "had what it takes" and then asked me if I were a journey-man, because of how I was dressed. I didn't know what he meant, and later found out a journey-man is an apprentice of an ancient apprenticeship.
Brighton
My second stop was Brighton. I got a lift in my very good friend's Jon's car. I stayed there with my good friend Pam H West, a very talented photographer: http://h-pinkness.com/ .I've only been to Brighton once as an adult, for a day. I tried the Lane's first. I figured, hey, boutiques, Bohemia, trust-fund-hippies, this is perfect. Ha! The money and traffic was good, but within an hour two burly security guys in high-vis jackets turned up. They told me a local business had complained and they asked that I moved on. A man sat outside a near by cafe jumped up in my defense, saying "I was listening to that! This is Brighton, you can't make her move on." He told me they were only requesting and had no actual legal powers. I decided to move about two streets down anyway, I wanted to be respectful. This would be the theme of the day. I was moved on by security three times. It was funny though, every time the universe presented something to me that would hinder my busking, it would also provide something to help. Someone would defend me, or someone would say "Hey, don't play here, you'll get moved on. But try over there, that might be better."
After an exhausting day in the sun I eventually moved to the sea front. I would recommend the sea front above the Lane's. I was just finishing my last song of the day when a young Japanese girl meekly but a ten pound note in my case and hurried away. I was so shocked at seeing paper money in my case I stopped playing completely. Then I went an had ice cream on the Pier.
London - Camden Town
With the money I made in Brighton I bought a bus ticket to London, were I stayed in Selhurst some very special not-really-family-but-might-as-well-be. It was a wonderful week, but god it was hot. I busked in Camden, which I was most nervous about because I knew Camden had a reputation for great street performers. This spot turned out to be the most enjoyable and successful spot of my trip. I set up on the pavement outside the market, facing a busy road. I thought the traffic noise might disrupt my performance but this turned out to be a lovely venue - people were taking pictures at me from buses, waving, and one man even threw 40p at me from a moving car. A lovely hippie lady who looked like she had her whole life on the back of her bicycle bought my CD for a fiver (I was only selling them for two pounds.) I packed up that afternoon feeling like I'd arrived. I wasn't just someone pretending to be a busker, I was a busker, a noble bard. It was exhilarating.
London - South Bank
I'd wanted to busk the South Bank since going there for the first time when I was 16, even before I played a buskable instrument. It was tough. Very tough. It was the hottest day of the year, and for fear of losing my pitch for a pee break I kept myself dehydrated. When I packed up that evening I was so faint I don't know I managed to maneuver the underground. The South Bank was packed with performers and I was jammed between a man in a chicken suit and a living statue. Statues I don't mind, but chicken-man's whole act was to stand there people pay to have pictures with him. It's a mockery of the ancient art of street minstreling. I had to add a lot of bull-shit to my act even to get noticed - yee-hawing, spinning, dancing little jigs. It was almost disheartening when people passed by me to pay the chicken-man.
But that morning I had a truly beautiful moment on the South Bank. Before setting up my friends and I did the tourist thing. We bumped into Charlie Chaplin, and he played the part. But suddenly he looked at me, my friends, and broke character, something very rare for his type of performer to do. "Is this your family?" He asked me. "Not biologically, but they are in a way." I answered. "A very special family you have." We began talking about crystals, mysticism, spirituality. He began telling me about a very special mandrake root he kept in his hat for luck. "I don't know why I'm telling you this!" He laughed. I myself have an onyx crystal I keep in my case for strength. It was a wonderful moment of universal like-minds in spontaneous meeting. I was carrying my ukulele in it's case, and drew me aside by the elbow and said in faltering English, "You know, I see. You play. When you play, play loud. Play with your everything...you know what I mean!" I knew, and I did.
under construction
So I went out, and busked around the country. This trip took me about two weeks, and was very spontaneous. No tickets were booked, I would be staying with friends around the country, and I would leave when the universe felt it right. This trip really made me appreciate the art of busking as its own unique, ancient and sacred form of performance in it's own right. I feel like I could write a book on busking now; in fact, my friends say I should busk around the world and write a travel book about my experiences.
I took a run-of-the-mill disposable camera on this trip, rather than my DSLR. Alot of the pictures were unusable but the pictures that did develop alright have that classic aged quality I love about disposables.
Exeter
Firstly, Exeter. Exeter was alright, my problem was arriving too early, and having to set up anyway so I didn't loose my spot. I started singing at about 9:30, much too early. I was finished in the high street by 1pm, and moved to the quay. I had a somewhat uncomfortable feeling there, I don't like busking where people are sat outside cafes because they are forced to sit through your performance. I like giving people the option, I like a place with a stead flow of traffic. While there a man bought my CD, told me I "had what it takes" and then asked me if I were a journey-man, because of how I was dressed. I didn't know what he meant, and later found out a journey-man is an apprentice of an ancient apprenticeship.
Brighton
My second stop was Brighton. I got a lift in my very good friend's Jon's car. I stayed there with my good friend Pam H West, a very talented photographer: http://h-pinkness.com/ .I've only been to Brighton once as an adult, for a day. I tried the Lane's first. I figured, hey, boutiques, Bohemia, trust-fund-hippies, this is perfect. Ha! The money and traffic was good, but within an hour two burly security guys in high-vis jackets turned up. They told me a local business had complained and they asked that I moved on. A man sat outside a near by cafe jumped up in my defense, saying "I was listening to that! This is Brighton, you can't make her move on." He told me they were only requesting and had no actual legal powers. I decided to move about two streets down anyway, I wanted to be respectful. This would be the theme of the day. I was moved on by security three times. It was funny though, every time the universe presented something to me that would hinder my busking, it would also provide something to help. Someone would defend me, or someone would say "Hey, don't play here, you'll get moved on. But try over there, that might be better."
After an exhausting day in the sun I eventually moved to the sea front. I would recommend the sea front above the Lane's. I was just finishing my last song of the day when a young Japanese girl meekly but a ten pound note in my case and hurried away. I was so shocked at seeing paper money in my case I stopped playing completely. Then I went an had ice cream on the Pier.
With the money I made in Brighton I bought a bus ticket to London, were I stayed in Selhurst some very special not-really-family-but-might-as-well-be. It was a wonderful week, but god it was hot. I busked in Camden, which I was most nervous about because I knew Camden had a reputation for great street performers. This spot turned out to be the most enjoyable and successful spot of my trip. I set up on the pavement outside the market, facing a busy road. I thought the traffic noise might disrupt my performance but this turned out to be a lovely venue - people were taking pictures at me from buses, waving, and one man even threw 40p at me from a moving car. A lovely hippie lady who looked like she had her whole life on the back of her bicycle bought my CD for a fiver (I was only selling them for two pounds.) I packed up that afternoon feeling like I'd arrived. I wasn't just someone pretending to be a busker, I was a busker, a noble bard. It was exhilarating.
London - South Bank
I'd wanted to busk the South Bank since going there for the first time when I was 16, even before I played a buskable instrument. It was tough. Very tough. It was the hottest day of the year, and for fear of losing my pitch for a pee break I kept myself dehydrated. When I packed up that evening I was so faint I don't know I managed to maneuver the underground. The South Bank was packed with performers and I was jammed between a man in a chicken suit and a living statue. Statues I don't mind, but chicken-man's whole act was to stand there people pay to have pictures with him. It's a mockery of the ancient art of street minstreling. I had to add a lot of bull-shit to my act even to get noticed - yee-hawing, spinning, dancing little jigs. It was almost disheartening when people passed by me to pay the chicken-man.
But that morning I had a truly beautiful moment on the South Bank. Before setting up my friends and I did the tourist thing. We bumped into Charlie Chaplin, and he played the part. But suddenly he looked at me, my friends, and broke character, something very rare for his type of performer to do. "Is this your family?" He asked me. "Not biologically, but they are in a way." I answered. "A very special family you have." We began talking about crystals, mysticism, spirituality. He began telling me about a very special mandrake root he kept in his hat for luck. "I don't know why I'm telling you this!" He laughed. I myself have an onyx crystal I keep in my case for strength. It was a wonderful moment of universal like-minds in spontaneous meeting. I was carrying my ukulele in it's case, and drew me aside by the elbow and said in faltering English, "You know, I see. You play. When you play, play loud. Play with your everything...you know what I mean!" I knew, and I did.
under construction
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